Another Big Year for Miami-Dade PL

Thanks to rising property values, the Miami-Dade Public Library System has received another huge boost in revenues . Its newly-approved $108 million budget for FY 2006-07 represents a 28 percent increase over the previous year’s figure – which itself was an 18 percent jump. The new budget will fund additional hours, jobs, and a new systemwide security plan. Also, it will support the library’s capital plan, which calls for ten new facilities plus eight storefront libraries. Six libraries have opened in the last five years. "Having the support of our County Commission is a great testament to the importance of the Library System in the lives of our residents and visitors," said director Raymond Santiago, who was LJ‘s Librarian of the Year in 2003. The library has received budget increases for seven straight years.